Can opener



Dec. 6, 1955 w, EDWARDS 2,725,623

CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 10, 1955 VIIIIIIIIIIIIIJIIIIIIIIIIII g. a 1 I I, a; r 5% 1 United States Patent ()fifice 2,725,623 Patented Dec. 6, 1955 CAN OPENER Frank W. Edwards, San Francisco, Calif. Application February 10, 1955, Serial No. 487,289

2 Claims. (Cl. 30-9) My invention relates to improvements in can openers.

It features a low cost device of the top winder type, with a single actuating handle, to which extent it is automatic. It present possibilities of easier action, due to the fact that downward pressure on the top of the upper rim of a can is not required as a means of forcing secure engagement of the feed means, and for other reasons, and the invention also presents possibilities of more attractive appearance. It is bi-symmetrical, having no unseemly backside, as is common with side winders, and is of simple construction.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification Fig. 1 is a top View of the can opener;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the can opener;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the can opener;

Fig. 4 is a section through the can opener taken along line 44 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4, except that only a forward portion of the can opener is shown and the can support wheel is in its lowermost position;

Fig. 6 is a detail of the support wheel and support wheel carrier assembly, in plan view;

Fig. 7 is a detail of the cam engaging arm, as viewed from the front;

Fig. 8 is a top view of the frame;

Fig. 9 is a section through the handle, taken along the line 9 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a section through the cutter and its mounting, taken along the line 19-1tl in Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is a section through the support wheel and its mounting, taken along the line 1111 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is a detail of the feed gear;

Fig. 13 is a section taken along the line 13-13 in Fig. 1, showing the flanges for mounting to a suitable wall bracket;

Fig. 14 is a section taken along the line 1414 in Fig. 3, showing the mounting of the support wheel carrier to the frame; and

Fig. 14A is a detail of the wire clip.

The preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, Fig. 1 through Fig 14A, has a frame 15 consisting of a sheet metal stamping, with provision thereon for wall mounting. An actuating handle 16, preferable in the form of a die casting, is rotatably attached to the frame 15 by means of a shaft 17 passing through a hole 15a in the front of the frame 15. The handle 16 is rotatable in a generally horizontal plane. Attached to the lower end of the shaft 17 is a feed gear 18, with teeth to engage the outside of the upper rim of a can. Rotatably attached to the forward end of the frame 15 is a cutter 19, having a shaft 20 which rotates in a bearing 22, the said bearing 21 being secured to the frame 15, and the entire cutter mounting being held together by a retaining washer 22 to which the upper end of the shaft 215 is riveted.

A can support wheel 23 is provided, to engage the underside of the upper rim of a can on the outside of the can. The support wheel 23 is rotatably attached to a carrier 24.

The rearward end of the support wheel carrier 24 is pivotally attached to the frame 15 by means of a slot 24a in the carrier 24 loosely engaging a lug 15b projecting downward from the frame 15 and loosely secured by means of a wire clip 25. Attachment of the support wheel 23 is at the forwardend of the carrier 24. v

The support wheel carrier 24 has a longitudinal slot 24b which engages a cam engaging arm 26, which cam arm 26 has lugs 26a and 26a, and lugs 26b and 26b, to engage the top and bottom surfaces of the carrier 24 respectively. This cam engaging arm 26 passes loosely through a slot in the frame 15 and is prevented from downward movement by lugs 26c and 260, which latter lugs engage the top surface of the frame 15. Any extensive upward movement of the cam arm 26 is prevented by its engagement with the under surface of thetop of the handle 16. The uppermost portion of the cam arm 26 engages a cam 27 which is secured to the handle 16, or integral with the handle 16. This cam 27 has a rapid change in its ramp near its smallest diameter, and increases more slowly as the cam 27 is increased in diameter thereafter. This permits fast initial action in bringing a can into puncturing position, and slower action for actual puncturing and cutting.

A bar spring 28 is provided, having one end attached to the handle 16 and a free end to engage the cam arm 26, which engagement is yieldable as the handle 16 is rotated in clockwise direction, while the spring 28 firmly engages the cam arm 26 when the cam 27 is rotated in counterclockwise direction. The free end of the spring 28 engages a pin 16a formed on the underside of the handle 16, which pin 16a aids in supporting the spring 23 for resistance to the cam arm 26 during counterclockwise rotation of the handle 16. A neoprene grommet is secured to the pin 16a. This grommet 16b prevents a clicking noise as the spring 23 rebounds.

The feed gear 13 has teeth slanting from the vertical so that the diameter of the gear 18 is smaller at the bottom of the gear 18 than at the top of the gear 18, to permit easier entry of the rim at the top of a can for cutting. The feed gear 18 has its teeth also slanted sideways, as viewed from the side as in Fig. 12, slanting from the left at the bottom of each tooth to the right at the top of each tooth. This has a tendency to thrust a can downward as it is released after cutting, during counterclockwise rotation of the handle 16.

Can insertion guides 15d, 15d are provided in the form of slanted lugs downwardly projecting from the frame 15. These guides 15d, 15d are slanted downwardly and rearwardly to guide the top rim of a can into the space be tween the cutter 1? and the feed gear 18 without catching on the gear 18. The guides 15d, 15d are also so shaped that they loosely engage the top of the upper rim of a can to aid in stabilizing the can top in a generally horizontal position.

Flanges Me, 152 and 15 are provided at the rearward end of the frame 15 for engagement with a suitable wall bracket.

The forward portion of the frame has downwardly projecting lugs 15g and 15g to provide a rest for the side of a can.

The support wheel carrier 24 is bent to provide a cam action as the lower end of the cam arm 26 is moved backward or forward. Thus, when the lower end of the cam arm 26 is forward the carrier 24 is lifted into its upper position, and when the lower end of the cam arm 26 is rearward the carrier 24 is in its lower position. The support wheel carrier 2-4 is also bent at its forward end generally perpendicular to the cam arm 26 so that the cam action is eliminated in the forwardmost position of the lower end of the cam arm 26, thereby holding the carrier 24 firmly in its uppermost position for cutting a can.

Operation of the cap opener is as follows: The handle 16 is turned to its maximum counterclockwise position, which is determined by the engagement of the spring 28 with the upper end of the cam arm 25, to the point where the handle 16 can turn no further. In this position the upper end of the cam arm 26 is in its forwardmost position and the inner portion of the cam 27 hits against the cam arm 26, i. e., against the side edge of the cam arm 26, which physically stops movement of the cam 27 and therefore stops the handle 16 to which the cam 27 is attached. In this position of the cam arm 26, its rower end is rearward, and the cam arm lugs 26a, 26a, being the upper set of lugs, have pushed the support wheel carrier 2 downward to its lowermost position, and therefore a space is left between the cutter 19 and the support wheel 23.

A can is now inserted, with the underside of its top rim resting on the support wheel 23. The handle 16 is now rotated in clockwise direction, rotating the cam 27 in so doing, and forcing the cam arm 26 backward, and the lower end of the cam arm 26 forward, which action forces the support wheel carrier 24 upward by cam action, and therefore the support wheel 23 is also moved upward. This action brings the can, first, into puncturing position, and then, as the cutter 19 is forced into the can, the can, in its uppermost position is ready for cutting. As the handle 16 is further rotated in the same direction, the feed gear 18 forcibly rotates the can until the cutter 19 has sufficiently severed the top of the can by shearing action, also rolling down the stub of metal left along the inside of the can rim.

To release the can, the handle 16 is rotated in counterclockwise direction, causing the cam 27, in conjunction with the spring 2%, to push the upper end of the cam arm 26 forward and its lower end therefore backward, so that the upper set of lugs 26a, 26a bearing on the carrier 24 have forced the carrier 24 and the support wheel 23 downward. The slant of the teeth of the feed gear 18 aid in thrusting the can from its cutting position, as previously described.

It will be noted that the spring 23 yields to the cam arm 26 during clockwise rotation, and firmly engages the-cam arm 26 during counterclockwise rotation.

t is understood that the embodiment of the invention herewith shown described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

I. A can opener comprising a frame; a rotatable feed gear operably secured to the frame; a cutter operably secured to the frame; a can support movably secured to the frame, to engage the underside of the upper rim of a can on the outside of the can; and actuating means for simultaneously rota 'ng the feed gear and moving the can support into cutting relationship near the cutter and the feed gear and for maintaining this cutting relationship as the feed gear is rotated in one direction, and for withdrawing the can support from cutting relationship with the feed gear and the cutter as the feed gear is rotated in reverse direction.

2, A can opener comprising a frame; a cutter operably secured to the frame; an actuating handle rotatably attached to the frame; a feed gear operably coupled to the actuating handle; a can support to engage the underside of the upper rim of a can on the outside of the can; means movably securing the can support to the frame; and means, operating in conjunction with the handle moving the can support into cutting relation with the cutter and the feed gear as the actuating handle is rotated in one direction, the said means maintaining the cutting relation during prolonged rotation of the actuating handle in the same direction, and the said means moving the can support away from cutting relation with the cutter and the feed gear as the handle is rotated in reverse direction.

No references cited. 

